Competition Behind the Scenes
Almost Delayed Deal's Completion

By

Daniel Pearl and

Anne Marie Squeo Staff Reporters of The Wall Street Journal

Updated April 20, 2000 12:01 a.m. ET

Behind Lockheed Martin Corp.'s struggle to complete the sale of F-16s to the United Arab Emirates was a fierce competition among suppliers for a share of the spoils. The competition nearly delayed the deal's completion.

Raytheon Co. had been selected to supply more than $1 billion in missiles for the F-16, but lost to Northrop Grumman Corp. in a competition for the plane's electronic warfare and radar systems, worth another $1...